It’s not every day that you get to sit down for lunch with Anthony Bourdain — chef, world traveler, best-selling author and general bad-ass rabble rouser.
But that’s where GeekWire co-founder Todd Bishop and I found ourselves in early September, surrounded by a camera crew and seated at a small table at Revel in Seattle’s Fremont neighborhood. Bourdain, the famed chef who now hosts CNN’s travel documentary series Parts Unknown, did not disappoint as he visited the city to shoot an upcoming episode.
What did we talk about? Nearly everything — from tech bro culture to cannabis edibles to virtual reality in porn. But a large chunk of the conversation revolved around a changing city — one being transformed by a booming tech industry.
We’ve not yet seen the upcoming episode, as Bourdain’s production crew is keeping things pretty tight-lipped before the show airs on CNN this Sunday at 6 p.m. However, you can get a sneak peek in the videos below:
Since our lunch meeting, many have asked us to describe Bourdain. Did he live up to his bad-boy, hard-charging TV persona?
The answer to that is a resounding, yes.
Gruff, funny and intellectually stimulating, our 90-minute lunch with Bourdain flew by as we slurped down Fremont IPAs over the amazing Dungeness crab noodle dish at Revel.
While known for his life in the kitchen, Bourdain is perhaps a more important social critic and documentarian, detailing life in the cities he visits with panache, humor and cutting analysis. We can’t wait to see more of Bourdain’s take on Seattle, a perplexing city that’s undergoing mind-boggling changes.
There will be a viewing party for the Parts Unknown episode on Sunday, from 6 to 9 p.m. at the Shanghai Room in Seattle’s Greenwood neighborhood.
And stick around for the episode’s end credits. You might even get a chance to see Todd and I sing a small portion of a Mark Lanegan song!
